Pirlo hoping to finish in Ballon d'Or top 10

The Juventus midfielder, who is among the outsiders for the prestigious yearly award, hailed his side's victory over Chelsea and looked ahead to Sunday's tussle with AC Milan

Italy international and Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo has revealed his desire to be finish in the top 10 of the Ballon d'Or this season.

The midfield maestro is considered an outside chance for football's most prestigious individual award following his superb displays at Euro 2012, which helped the Azzurri finish as runners-up to Spain.

The World Cup winner, who also played a key role in the Bianconeri's title winning campaign last season, has admitted that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi remain the obvious choices but that he will just be happy to be close behind them in the rankings.

"For many years Messi and Ronaldo will be the two best. After them there is Xavi, Andres Iniesta and others. I hope to be in the top ten," Pirlo told reporters.

Following Juventus' emphatic 3-0 victory over European champions Chelsea in the Champions League, Pirlo is now looking forward to his team's clash with his former side, AC Milan, this Sunday in the Serie A.

"We needed a win like the one against Chelsea," he added. It gives us confidence having beaten the European champions. Our inner strength helped. We are a solid group and we work hard.

"[The Milan match] is a special game for Juventus. I hope to win it, though Milan are a strong team. When great teams meet there is never is a problem with concentration."